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matildaesandell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I am too dumb for this book, or at least that is how it is designed to make you feel. The first half was boring and the only positives I see are the creativity and individuality of it, and I think the writing is beautiful and lyrical.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
empathreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book takes you on some mind-f*ck emotional experience—the phases of falling in love that are not exactly defined in the usual ways—it speaks in another language, differing from the means of poetry or typical romance. There's truth and nonsense and ecstatic to an escalation that relentlessly pulls you forward to the center stage, not being a part of ridicule but being a part of one's imaginary world (2 worlds with the main characters)—absorbing to curating images of personas—is that really the person? or a made-up one? The concepts of change and obsessions with it, the repertoire of control and not having it at the same time. This book is posed with humor and sarcasm, making you psychologically challenged, and it was absolutely delivered with as much perfection as possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Addiction, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
cassidylee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Listening to this audiobook was immersive and intriguing, almost consuming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Medical content
Minor: Blood and Addiction
kittkat's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fuck Marc🤬!
Regan arbeitet in einem Museum, sie wollte mal Künstlerin werden, aber stattdessen ist sie fast im Gefängnis gelandet. Regan hat einige Probleme, die sie aber nicht ganz offen mit allen teilt, nach außen wirkt sie für alle wie ein kompliziertes Problem, das man sowieso nicht lösen kann, also warum sollte man sich näher mir ihr beschäftigen?
Aldo ist wohl der furchtbarste Mathe Prof aller Universitäten der ganzen Welt. Meistens denkt er über theoretische Mathematikprobleme, Quantenphysik oder Bienen nach (die Reihenfolge hier ist arbiträr). Sein größtes Problem als Dozent ist jedoch nur, dass er nichts wirklich verständlich erklären kann und er will das auch gar nicht können. Ignorant king 💁♀️! Aber dahinter stecken auch ganz viele eigene Probleme und vielleicht braucht er einfach diese Distanz zu anderen.
6 Gespräche könnten alles ändern. Oder auch nicht, aber sie werden nicht mehr zu ihrem vorherigen Leben zurückkehren können. 🤭
Schreibstil: 12/10 - genau so wie ich mir perfektes Storytelling vorstellen. Wenn ichs beschreiben müsste, würde ich sagen, es ist sehr „stream of consciousness“ (= so wie wir denken-mäßig)
Charaktere: sind echt/10 - ich kann nicht mehr ohne sie leben
Marc: -∞/10
Regan arbeitet in einem Museum, sie wollte mal Künstlerin werden, aber stattdessen ist sie fast im Gefängnis gelandet. Regan hat einige Probleme, die sie aber nicht ganz offen mit allen teilt, nach außen wirkt sie für alle wie ein kompliziertes Problem, das man sowieso nicht lösen kann, also warum sollte man sich näher mir ihr beschäftigen?
Aldo ist wohl der furchtbarste Mathe Prof aller Universitäten der ganzen Welt. Meistens denkt er über theoretische Mathematikprobleme, Quantenphysik oder Bienen nach (die Reihenfolge hier ist arbiträr). Sein größtes Problem als Dozent ist jedoch nur, dass er nichts wirklich verständlich erklären kann und er will das auch gar nicht können. Ignorant king 💁♀️! Aber dahinter stecken auch ganz viele eigene Probleme und vielleicht braucht er einfach diese Distanz zu anderen.
6 Gespräche könnten alles ändern. Oder auch nicht, aber sie werden nicht mehr zu ihrem vorherigen Leben zurückkehren können. 🤭
Schreibstil: 12/10 - genau so wie ich mir perfektes Storytelling vorstellen. Wenn ichs beschreiben müsste, würde ich sagen, es ist sehr „stream of consciousness“ (= so wie wir denken-mäßig)
Charaktere: sind echt/10 - ich kann nicht mehr ohne sie leben
Marc: -∞/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Addiction
tullyndmom's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the kind of mental health and neurodivergence representation we need in books!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Sexual content
jeslis's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Notes:
- Took a little while to get invested into the characters but after about halfway I fell in love with them.
- The prose was stunning! Insanely good.
- This was such an ethereal exploration of a relationship, mental health, what it means to have impact on others and the many nuances in the process of finding human connection.
- Much of this book's impact for me was that the experience of reading it matched the experience of Aldo and Reagan falling in love — an otherworldly feeling so as to render the finer details quite blurred and distant. Basically I loved this book but don't remember much objectively outside the fever-dream reading experience.
- Took a little while to get invested into the characters but after about halfway I fell in love with them.
- The prose was stunning! Insanely good.
- This was such an ethereal exploration of a relationship, mental health, what it means to have impact on others and the many nuances in the process of finding human connection.
- Much of this book's impact for me was that the experience of reading it matched the experience of Aldo and Reagan falling in love — an otherworldly feeling so as to render the finer details quite blurred and distant. Basically I loved this book but don't remember much objectively outside the fever-dream reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
agirlnamedellie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First book I have read by Olivie Blake. Enjoyed but wasn't enthralled; I found in places it was slightly slow making it a bit difficult to get through. However, I do think it was a great depiction on mental health and the characters felt like they were real. I really liked reading about the supportive and loving relationship between the male MC and his father.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction
writingcaia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book hooked me from the start with the amazingly beautiful writing and narrative, that so mirrored each character in each of their POVs, and thus I fell into the hole that was the psychological conundrums, obsessiveness and traumas of the two main characters Aldo Damiani and Charlotte Regan since their meeting at the Art Museum where Regan volunteers and where Aldo goes to enjoy the white noise of people while he obsesses with his studies of time travelling.
I felt like I was being held by the hand through the maze that was their meetings, their lives with their mental issues and prior problems, and the love that bloomed and burned.
It made me cry, laugh, and hurt for them.
Regan bipolar in a loop of unhealthy love relationships and familial trauma, living in avoidance of a true life and true dream, always in spite of all, and Aldo anti-social and depressive, living a disconnected life with only his father as an anchor to it.
How can love survive the mental problems of these two, the prior relationships and abandonments? My heart ached for them throughout and I truly could not see a happy ending, although I wanted it so much for them, Aldo wanted it, but did Regan, or was Aldo just another escape from her issues, another spoke on the wheel of her avoidance like the boyfriend she had when she met him?
Loved it so much I read it all in one day unable to stop until it finished at 5am.
After this one I’m craving to read all of Olivie Blake’s books, especially the standalone ones.
A truly candid love story that I wished had not ended.
I felt like I was being held by the hand through the maze that was their meetings, their lives with their mental issues and prior problems, and the love that bloomed and burned.
It made me cry, laugh, and hurt for them.
Regan bipolar in a loop of unhealthy love relationships and familial trauma, living in avoidance of a true life and true dream, always in spite of all, and Aldo anti-social and depressive, living a disconnected life with only his father as an anchor to it.
How can love survive the mental problems of these two, the prior relationships and abandonments? My heart ached for them throughout and I truly could not see a happy ending, although I wanted it so much for them, Aldo wanted it, but did Regan, or was Aldo just another escape from her issues, another spoke on the wheel of her avoidance like the boyfriend she had when she met him?
Loved it so much I read it all in one day unable to stop until it finished at 5am.
After this one I’m craving to read all of Olivie Blake’s books, especially the standalone ones.
A truly candid love story that I wished had not ended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Drug use
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
yilliun's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have spent much of my early adult life living in Chicago, so this book felt doubly real to me. I cried, I laughed (pride and prejudice reference anyone?), and most importantly I fell in love with these beautifully complex characters.
Regan with her anxious attachment and self destructive tendencies felt like I was reading about myself at times. She struggles to connect with the world around her and her struggles felt so honest to me as a reader. I am so glad I picked up this book. One of my top reads this year.
Regan with her anxious attachment and self destructive tendencies felt like I was reading about myself at times. She struggles to connect with the world around her and her struggles felt so honest to me as a reader. I am so glad I picked up this book. One of my top reads this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction
Minor: Grief
This book deals heavily with toxic parental and romantic relationships. It also centers on two characters dealing with what it means to be mentally ill and also trying to be a good person.arturo_luzen's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Cursing, and Classism